If there's one shortcoming in the set of four games that came with my first 3DO, it's that there are no FMV-heavy games among them. Being in a bit of a rush to rectify that, I purchased this game for cheap online. It just came in the mail today.

I've played through it a couple times now. Ended with "Maximum Eric" the first time, then with "Pretty Bracelet". I understand what the reviewer on Gamespot meant about the plot being difficult to follow, but I think he's completely wrong about it being due to the gameplay. It's a typical case of confusing script, confusing filming, and gratuitous psychedelic effects.

And yet, even though I can't entirely follow who all the characters are, it's still great fun to play. I felt a tingle run through me the first few times I mind-hopped. Seeing the same scene suddenly coming at you from a different perspective is just spooky. The whole thing has a very organic, in-the-moment feel to it; you really do feel like part of the movie. I was especially impressed with how fresh the game still felt on my second playthrough.

A few questions: First, does anything good ever come out of doing a reading on an object? I tried this a few times on my first run, and all I got were a few images flashed at me too quickly to even make out what they were, much less interpret them in the context of the story. I left objects alone on my second run because I felt like all they did was made me miss out on actual storyline. Am I just reading the wrong objects?

Second, is there any strategy to "Black Diamond" beyond the selection of pieces? The manual makes it sound like the movement of pieces is just formality, and when I actually played the game, that did indeed seem to be the case. Am I missing something?

Finally, obviously winning or losing at Black Diamond affects what ending you get, but does it make a difference how many pieces you(or your opponent) win by?

I've popped this in again for a few more plays. I have to say, I'm increasingly impressed with how well the game is attuned to repeated playthroughs; each time you uncover a little bit more of the mystery, pull off a different course of events for the same scene, and get a better sense of the story. I find, too, that I'm getting a better feel for the pacing of the gameplay. I've even begun doing a few object readings without feeling like I'm chopping up the story. The game's design really does draw you in.

I am increasingly annoyed by the Psychic Duel, though. It's bad enough that, going by the manual at least, who gets the most powerful of the eight pieces is the only factor determining the winner, with the other seven pieces and the actual manipulation of the pieces all being just for show. But I'm finding now that even the value of the pieces is selected at random, rather than determined by the course of the story as the manual claims. I even played through the game twice in a row using the same story path, and the same piece matchup which had resulted in Max taking a piece the first time resulted in me losing a piece! It takes away a lot of motivation for playing the game(and I'm not just talking about the Psychic Duel) when whether you get a good or bad ending is essentially determined at random.

Yeah, sadly he bashes the hell out of the system and especially Plumber's Don't Wear Ties. I like his reviews, but he doesn't seem very open minded to some older stuff, especially Sega CD/32x and 3Do =)

From what I have read/watched, the AVGN is just a face/a character, and the opinions don't always reflect how the actor actually feels. James himself supposedly actually enjoys a lot of the stuff that he bashes for his AVGN show.

vampyre mike wrote:Yeah, sadly he bashes the hell out of the system and especially Plumber's Don't Wear Ties. I like his reviews, but he doesn't seem very open minded to some older stuff, especially Sega CD/32x and 3Do =)

Well, that's what he does. Angry Video Game Nerd isn't a review show; it's basically a comedy/documentary (in that he includes a fair amount of well-researched background on the games and consoles he covers) show. If you're looking for suggestions on what games/consoles to buy, you're just as well-off tuning in to The Big Bang Theory or the Drew Carey Show.

I popped the game in again last night and had a great run. Never would have guessed that you could hitch a ride to the bearded homeless man's head, much less that doing so would open up a whole new branch of the story. The great thing about games like this is that they're full of surprises. I also tried seducing Sylvia without having spied on in her in the limo for the first time... That was interesting. Then, to cap off a beautiful playthrough, I won the psychic duel.

...and... got "Pretty Bracelet" for the ending. For the fourth time. Is something wrong with my copy of the game? I've taken all kinds of routes through the story, but whenever I win the psychic duel, "Pretty Bracelet" is the ending I get. It would be nice if one day I could say I've seen more than four of Psychic Detective's 15 endings.

I guess I spoke too soon. On my next playthrough I got "Hot Head", a very amusing ending. It's a well-used idea, but Kevin Breznahan's acting really makes it work. A couple plays after that, I scored "The Healing" - definitely the best ending I've seen so far. One thing, though...

Anybody understand what Laina thought was the reason Sergei was mind-broken? I've watched those scenes many times by now, and I still can't get even a vague understanding of that plot point.

Martin III wrote:Anybody understand what Laina thought was the reason Sergei was mind-broken? I've watched those scenes many times by now, and I still can't get even a vague understanding of that plot point.

Didn't Laina's dad fry his brain? He disapproved of their relationship.

Martin III wrote:Anybody understand what Laina thought was the reason Sergei was mind-broken? I've watched those scenes many times by now, and I still can't get even a vague understanding of that plot point.

Didn't Laina's dad fry his brain? He disapproved of their relationship.

That's what I was starting to think too, but when Eric suggests this, Laina just scoffs at him. Plus, I couldn't figure out why he would disapprove of their relationship so violently.

As some of you may have already noticed, Video Game Critic recently posted two new 3DO game reviews, and one of them is for Psychic Detective. Sadly, it doesn't give the most accurate overview of the game I've seen, so I posted to the VGC bulletin board pointing out the errors. However, he insists that there is a combination of actions you can take that will result in Laina apologizing immediately after Eric hits her, instead of saying "How could you?!".

I hate to say it, being something of a VGC fan, but... I'm dubious. I've played through the game plenty of times now, and I've never seen a route that seems like it might lead to Laina apologizing at that point. Can anyone here tell me whether or not this scene actually exists? And if it does, how do you get to it?

Huh, that sounds vaguely familiar. I can look back at my/our notes to see if we found something along those lines. Certainly, I remember hitting Laina and not getting the angry/indignant reaction we expected.